


cause i'm a fucking mess sometimes

by courvoisierinmycoffee



Series: soulmates [3]
Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, X-Men: Apocalypse Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 05:49:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7496271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/courvoisierinmycoffee/pseuds/courvoisierinmycoffee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hank has deep red rings that encircle his wrists, painting his skin and telling him who his soulmate is from the moment he sees Alex's mutation. It takes Alex, with his dark blue patches of skin, a little longer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	cause i'm a fucking mess sometimes

**Author's Note:**

> an addition to part one of this series, as it was inspired by that and a prompt asking for mcsummers as normal with the add of soulmates: soulmate au where mcsummers is exactly the same except soulmates and they argue a lot
> 
> title from EDEN's drugs

Henry McCoy is ten years old, surrounded by students five years older than him and sat at the front of the class with a book resting on his lap beneath the desk, when he feels an unusual itchiness on his wrists. He scratches at one, then the other. His lips turn down into a little frown – one the boy is known for when he comes across something he doesn’t understand – and he pushes up the sleeves of his buttoned shirt to inspect at each wrist in turn. Faint red rings encircle his wrists, and as he is uneducated on all matters concerning soulmates, Henry is absolutely _terrified_.

Usually, he would be ashamed, but his skin is burning now and tears gather in his eyes, so Henry scrambles from his seat. The book hits the floor. Eyes turn to him, both mocking and curious. The pain grows hotter and more painful, and Henry is dizzy.

It is no surprise that when he moves toward their teacher, his vision grows blurry and his head heavy and he faints.

He wakes to students crowded around him, laughing loudly and looking down at him in amusement. Huffing quietly at having her lesson interrupted, the teacher pushes through the crowd and helps Henry up. She scowls to herself and tells the scared boy to head to the nurse’s office.

As he leaves, head bent down and wrists still aching, he hears a boy say: “McCoy fainted over his soul mark. Surprised the brat even has one! Good luck to the girl who is stuck with him as a soulmate!”  

That is how Henry McCoy learns about soulmates.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

After that, once his mark has come in properly and is a beautifully rich red against his pale skin, Hank (it’s Hank now – a new, better version of ~~Henry~~ Hank McCoy who will be _good enough_ ) learns all he can about soulmates. Book after book. His parents reluctantly buy them, unwilling to tell him themselves but still wanting their son to be _normal_. Having a soulmate _is_ normal.

Despite that, though, his parents expect too much of Hank if they want to be an ordinary child. After all, his feet are too large and he has skipped several grades already. He’s both smarter and shyer than most, with no friends to call his own and all he brings home are dark bruises painting his skin.

They give up when he is accepted into Harvard. They are proud when he graduates at fifteen, but also silently disapproving. When Hank sees their tight-lipped smiles, his own pride disperses and he is reminded of how much of a _freak_ he is.

His feet change and he can barely look at them. He ignores them and directs all his attention to the CIA when they recruit him. He builds _Cerebro_ – a prototype, but Hank has never been more pleased with himself before.

Then, _they_ find him.

The professor, with his kind and confident demeanor, exposes Hank’s mutation.  Charles apologises, but the damage is done and Hank lets himself free his feet. They are impressed by his agility, but the way the girl – Raven – smiles at him in awe, as if Hank is _important_ , is why he agrees to join them.

He thinks she might be his soulmate, but his mark will never represent _who_ she is. Raven doesn’t have a mark herself either, he will soon discover, yet Hank still wishes it was her.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Then, he meets Alex Summers.

Alex is cruel and brash and Hank _hates_ him.

He calls Hank big foot and bozo and _freak_. Hank is reminded of the bullies at Havard, who attacked him with words. He’s reminded of those back at high school, who used to push him around and knock him to the ground, because he was just a kid and they didn’t _care_.

Alex doesn’t care. Alex will _never_ care.

But Hank does, because Alex is his _soulmate_.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

They’re deciding on codenames when Hank realises.

He’s tucked by Raven, silent and keeping to himself. From time to time, he laughs with the others, but when Angel smiles and asks his codename, Hank looks down with a quiet frown.

“How about big foot?” Alex suggests, chuckling to himself and the others grin along with him – laughing at Hank. The brunet shifts uncomfortably, pressing his lips together and resisting the urge to rub at his eyes. After so much teasing, Hank should be used to it by now.

“You know what they say about guys with big feet.” Raven interrupts. Slowly, Hank looks over to her. Past her, he can see the way Alex scoffs in response. “And yours are kind of small.” Hank smiles at that.

Rolling his eyes, Darwin turns the conversation away from Hank. “Okay now,” He says over the laughter of Sean and Angel. “Alex, what is your gift?” _They aren’t gifts_ , Hank wants to tell him. He doesn’t, though. “What can you do?”

Hank watches as Alex grows awkward now. The blonde shakes his head. “It’s not…” He struggles, brushing a hand through his hair and Hank watches intently – _curiously_. “I just can’t do it. I can’t do it in here.”

“Can you do it out there?”

This was why Alex was arrested, Hank realises. Charles had mentioned it in passing – where the others had all come from – but he had never said _why_.

Alex is capable of hurting people and he’s scared of himself.

“Why don’t you just do it out there? Come on!”

They all, bar Hank, begin chanting then. “Alex! Alex! Alex!”

He stands after a moment, shaking his head and smiling almost fondly.

“That’s the spirit!” Darwin cheers.

As Alex moves toward the exit – well, what once was a window – Hank’s eyes follow his figure. “Get down when I tell you.” Alex insists and Hank wants to follow after him when the others scramble to their feet. “Get back,” The boy warns when they peak over to watch him. Hank is quick to follow his order, but soon enough, they’re all looking back again. “Get back!” No one moves. “Whatever.”

Rings begin to grow around Alex – deep red rings that encircle him, mimicking the similar marks on Hank’s wrists. Hank steps back behind the corner, his breath growing slightly erratic, because it’s so _obvious_. Alex has to be his soulmate.

Whilst the others clap at Alex’s mutation, Hank watches in both shock and amazement. His _soulmate_.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Everything happens so quickly that Hank never gets the chance to tell him, and then when it’s over, Hank doesn’t think he _should_.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Instead of telling him, he tries to _show_ Alex.

He designs the plate so that Alex can control his mutation. Although the first isn’t much help, Hank continues to design and test, hoping to create at least one plate that will help Alex in the slightest. However, he can’t imagine any of them working. So, when Charles asks him to join in on Alex’s training, he doesn’t expect too much progression.

Alex’s surprises him, though.

He hits the target – with too much force and power, but he _still_ hits it.

Alex laughs in delight. Charles nods, evidently impressed. Even Hank, as shocked as he is, manages a small smile as Alex grins widely.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

_Mutant and proud_.

Raven doesn’t understand. They don’t call her a freak – _Alex_ doesn’t call her a freak. She will never understand why the serum is so important to him, so he does it himself. He doesn’t need Raven. She doesn’t want his serum, but it’s all Hank has ever wanted – all he’s ever _needed_.

It’s what he needs to be normal.

It doesn’t make him normal, though, because that is something Hank will never be. It only makes him worse.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Hank?” Charles calls out to him when Hank moves toward the group. Alex is stood in the middle, with the plate _Hank_ had designed. He looks beautiful and Hank will never deserve him.

“It didn’t attack the cells, it enhanced them.” He says as a way of an explanation, looking down in shame. He can’t bear to see their horror or amusement. “It didn’t work.”

“Yes, it did, Hank.” As Raven speaks, Hank looks up again. He’s reminded of their meeting, when she had looked at him as if he was _beautiful_. “Don’t you see? This is who you were meant to be.” She cups his cheek when he moves toward her, brushing soft and unfamiliar fur. “This is you.” He nods, almost timidly. “No more hiding.”

“Never looked better, man.” Erik comments, clapping his shoulder. In his anger, Hank attacks and his hand is around Erik’s throat immediately. Charles calls out to him.

Hank growls. He is both ashamed and furious; he’s tired of being a _joke_. “Don’t mock me.”

Charles calls out to him again, growing panicked. Hank knows they’re soulmates. Hank drops Erik to the ground, but only for Charles’ sake.

“I wasn’t.” Erik gasps out.

“Even I gotta admit you look pretty badass,” Alex speaks up, a smirk on his lips. In confusion, Hank watches him. “I think I got a new name for you,” The blond grins, smile almost genuine. “Beast.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

There’s a patch of blue skin running across Alex’s side that the blond reveals to Hank one evening.  

There’s only the three of them left now, with Raven having run off with Erik and Sean’s untimely death (Hank can still remember the way Alex had sobbed when they had been told, and how Charles had stared at the wall, unblinkingly). The school is barely surviving, as they lose students and teachers each day.

Alex shows him the mark on the same day he leaves.

It’s raining. Rather than hiding in his lab as usual, Hank finds himself curled up on the window seat in Raven’s old room. He watches the rain hit the window, silent as he listens to the soft patter against glass. He’s so lost in himself that Alex’s voice has him jumping in the seat.

“Hey,” Alex greets, sounding tired. He always sounds tired now.

“Hi.” Hank returns, glancing at the blond fleetingly.

Alex settles on the bed across from the window. Finally, Hank twists around to give the other his full attention. “What is it?” Alex hasn’t sought him out to simply sit in silence.

“We’re soulmates.”

Hank’s eyes widen and his wrists itch. _Yes, we are_. Hank struggles to say it, though – he can’t. Instead, Hank nods shortly and turns back to watch the rain.

“Will you look at me?” Alex demands. When Hank does so, unsure what to do, he finds Alex tugging of his shirt. Hank feels his cheeks turning a soft pink, but Alex doesn’t listen to his protest. “Hank.” _Hank_.  Alex has never said his name before – even after everything happened on the beach, Alex still called him Bozo. “Look at this.”

There’s a patch of blue skin running across Alex’s side, which mimics the dark blue fur that belongs to Hank when the serum wears off. It covers a small part of his hip, but Hank notices smaller sections that almost reach Alex’s armpit. Hank moves from the window seat, reaching out to touch the marks and Alex lets him.

“I’m leaving.” Alex says. Hank recoils back, horror replacing the hesitant happiness that had been there. Hank tugs down the sleeves of his jacket, refusing to let Alex touch his own soulmark no matter how much Alex reaches out to him.

“Get out.” Hank pushes him away, suddenly angry and he wants to scream at Alex until his voice is hoarse. “Get out!”

“Hank–”

“Leave!”

And Alex does.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Eventually, he returns.

They’ve both changed so much. Hank is ready for a war, whilst Alex has seen too many. It doesn’t matter, though, because seeing each other again makes them smile and greet each other with a kindness that is rare for the two of them.

It seems as if Alex will stay this time – if not for Hank, but for Scott. They’re happy for once, despite the years that they’ve missed.

Alex kisses him when they have a moment alone and Hank is sure he could live in the moment.

But, it isn’t supposed to work like that. Not for them. Alex _always_ leaves, and he does again.

This time, he isn’t going to come back.


End file.
